


I See You

by charmed_seconds



Series: Tunes of Klance [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Galra Keith, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Post S7-AU, Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22236898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charmed_seconds/pseuds/charmed_seconds
Summary: I'm alone with youYou're alone with meAnd I'm hoping that you will see yourselfLike I see youYes, I see youI see youYes, I see youEven when you cryAnd even when you're shyYou mean everything to me-- "I See You" by MissioLance grows worried when he receives Keith's text knowing that it wasn't like Keith to skip out of his duties as the Black Paladin or as the Blade's Liason. Knowing that this isn't like his boyfriend, he leaves the diplomatic party and finds Keith weeping in the dark.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Tunes of Klance [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537690
Comments: 1
Kudos: 127





	I See You

Lance looked at the message on his phone, a frown pulling his lips downward and a sense of uneasiness encompassing him. He wasn’t sure why he felt this way, but something wasn’t right. His grip tightened around the phone, blue eyes honed in on the simple words: “Pass. Tired.”. 

It was like Keith to send clipped messages. He was always straight to the point but something about this made Lance worried. Something about this wasn’t like his boyfriend. 

“Red Paladin?”

Lance jumped at the voice, eyes widening in shock. His expression quickly smoothed out, a diplomatic smile appearing on his face as he looked at the Themian ambassador. “Lethonia,” he greeted, “I thought I said to call me Lance.” He said. 

The lanky human-like alien giggle, it high-pitched and melodic. She raised one of her 4 hands to cover her mouth, her three silver eyes closing briefly in mirth. “I apologize. One day I will remember.” She vowed before turning a bit more serious, “Is that party not to your liking?”

Lance’s brows furrowed in confusion. “You looked distressed,” Lethonia explained.

Realization washed over Lance, “Oh. No, everything about the party is okay. It’s just something..else.” He said trailing off. 

“I see.” She said before placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder, “Is there anything I can do?”

Lance took a step back from her touch. It was her tone, her gaze, that caused him to do so. They just met during this diplomatic gathering. It was small, just a few planets were visiting to meet Earth. A sense of irritation trickled into Lance. Keith should be here. He was the Leader of Voltron plus the Liason for the Blades on Earth for these types of gatherings. It was his job to be here and yet, he wasn’t. 

But irritation was quickly washed away by worry because this wasn’t like Keith. Keith  _ always  _ did his duty. 

So him not being here raised a lot of red flags for Lance. 

“It’s okay.” Lance reassured, giving Lethonia a small smile, “Excuse me.” He said, politely before turning around and quickly spotting Hunk. He slid beside his friend, resting a hand on the Yellow Paladin’s shoulder. 

“Hey, I need to leave,” Lance whispered.

“Why? Is everything okay?” Hunk quickly asked, concerned.

Lance frowned, trying to think of the right words to say, “Have you ever felt like something might be wrong but you don’t really have any proof that something is wrong but you just think something might be wrong?”

Hunk blinked as he processed the words before raising a lone eyebrow. “Uh.”

“Can you just tell Allura that I had to leave? Please, buddy?” Lance asked. 

Hunk gave Lance a small nod and Lance didn’t linger. He quickly made his way to the door and headed straight to the small suite that he and Keith shared. The worry was building within him, especially since Keith wasn’t answering any of his texts. Part of him wanted to call his boyfriend but Lance hesitated. It was only a 15-minute walk and if Keith was tired and fell asleep the last thing Lance wanted to do was wake him up. 

Kosmo was with Keith and if something was seriously wrong, the wolf would come to him. That was Lance’s only solace right now. A breath of relief came from him when he saw the front door and he quickly opened it and rushed in. He locked it behind him and shed his blue Garrison jacket on the way to the bedroom but froze when he heard it. A shaky sob. 

Lance’s heart clenched. He slipped off his boots and slowly made his way into their bedroom. Each whimper and sob broke Lance’s heart. Keith always appeared to be the strong one, the Leader, but behind that mask was a man that dealt with depression, anxiety, and trauma. Lance wished with every fiber of his being that he could wrap Keith in a thick blanket and wash all that pain away but he also knew that that was a ludicrous dream. All he could do is what Keith did for him -- be there and wipe away the tears. 

“Cariño?” He whispered, standing in the doorway. 

Kosmo’s head turned towards him, a soft whimper coming from the wolf. He gave Kosmo a small smile, mentally thanking the wolf for being there for Keith when he couldn’t be. Slowly, he approached the bed and sat down. “Cariño.” he whispered again, “Babe.”

Keith sniffled, obviously trying to wipe his face. “I-I thought you were with the others.” was the quiet whisper.

Lance frowned. He crawled under the blankets, “I was.” he replied, “Can you look at me?”

Keith shook his head, another sniffle. Lance swallowed. “Can I touch you?” 

A nod. 

Slowly, Lance reached out and gathered Keith close. He pressed his nose into Keith’s hair, the strands damp. He could feel Keith shaking in his arms. “I got you.” Lance said softly. 

And he would always. His grasp tightened around Keith as Keith started sobbing once more.  _ How did I not see this, _ Lance thought,  _ How? _

It was no secret that Keith harbored self-worth problems. Naxela was a rocky point in their relationship but it was also eye-opening for Lance. He knew his lover had mental health issues, they both did, but Lance didn’t realize how damning Keith’s were until that moment. If it wasn’t for Lotor, Lance wouldn’t be holding Keith right now. 

Keith had so many scars from his turbulent childhood and Lance longed to heal them all but he also knows that it would never happen - that nights like this were inevitable. He felt Keith turn in his hold, it breaking his thoughts. Purple eyes peered up at him from behind black bangs. “I’m sorry.” 

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Lance replied, sorrow in his eyes.

“I should’ve been at the party,” Keith sighed, “Meet with the -- We can still--”

“No, Keith, babe.” Lance held Keith closer when the lithe man tried to get out of bed, “Cariño, stop.” when Keith did, Lance sighed softly, “That doesn’t matter. Right now, what matters is you.”

“But-”

Lance frowned, “But what?”

“I’m the leader.”

“You are.”

“I should’ve been there.” Keith said softly, “Allura and Shiro are probably disappointed.”

“We’ll tell them you had a hard day-”

“I sat in meetings all day, Lance, not like I was doing anything stressful.” Keith spat, sitting up, “I should’ve sucked it up-”

“No.” Lance practically growled, sitting up as well, “All you did while we were in space was suck it up and it ate you up inside.” He reached and gently cupped Keith’s face with his palms, “You don’t need to do that anymore. I’m here.” He reassured, thumbs caressing the skin beneath them, “What’s wrong, babe?”

Keith frowned, “Nothing important.”

“Lies.” Lance stated, eyes narrowing slightly, “You are important. Your feelings are important.”

“You’re starting to sound like Shiro.” Keith mumbled before sighing. He reached up and grasped Lance’s hand, lowering them but not releasing them, “I’m saying its not important because there’s nothing that can be done about it.” Keith explained. 

“Even if I can’t do anything about it, I can still help by listening.” Lance pressed slightly. He didn’t want to push Keith into spilling his guts if he didn’t want to, but Lance wanted to help even if it only by being a listening ear. 

Keith shrugged slightly, head tipping forward. “Its just...a lot of things.” he started slowly, “If I’m not being the Leader of Voltron, I’m being the Blade Liason and if I’m not doing that, I’m trying to catch up on Garrison stuff or doing homework,” Keith confessed. 

“You can take a break, babe.” Lance said softly, “I can pick up some of the slack with Voltron, no biggie.” He said, “And I”m sure your mom wouldn’t mind lending a helping hand, it would give her an excuse to meet up with my mom again,” He said, chuckling. 

“But-” Keith frowned. If he did that, then he would be proving all those people that said he shouldn’t be the Leader of Voltron or part of the Garrison right. He had to prove to these people that he changed, that he wasn’t the same hotheaded boy that left years ago but now was more mature and levelheaded. 

That he wasn’t the evil, bloodthirsty Galra that everyone was waiting for him to turn into. 

“Pero que,” Lance whispered. 

“I should be able to do it.” Keith replied, eyes falling to their entwined hands, “I can’t be the fuck up anymore.”

“Keith-”

“Every single day, I get asked, how long until you guys realize that Shiro should be the leader, or Allura.” Keith continued, “Or even if I should be apart of Voltron anymore considering my blood. They analyze every single decision I make and point out how I got someone injured or how it could’ve been better and I’m trying so damn hard to prove to everyone that I can do this. That I  _ want  _ to do this. But I’m never good enough.” Keith sniffled.

“Cariño,” Lance murmured, “How long has this been going on?”

“Since we got back.” Keith answered, “The comments today just broke the camels back I guess.”

“What comments?”

Keith frowned before shaking his head, “Just some stuff the diplomats said, the usual stuff. They just caught me on a bad day.”

Lance’s frown deepened. He tried to keep the anger from appearing on his face but he could feel it starting to grow. Keith didn’t deserve this. Keith tried his best every single day, strived to make sure they all got back home during a mission and worked so hard that Lance hardly ever seen him take a break from doing  _ something  _ since they landed back on Earth. And he was getting that thrown back in his face as not doing enough? Lance wanted to deck someone.

“What did they say, cariño?” Lance gently pressed. 

“Just..stuff about being Galran.” Keith muttered. 

Lance pulled Keith close, hugging him. He pressed a kiss to the top of Keith’s head, wishing that the simple gesture would obliterate all the malicious thoughts in his lover’s mind. “You do more than enough, Keith.” He said, “You work your ass off every single day and night. You are a great leader and the fact that anyone is telling you other wise makes me want to find them and punch them in the face.” 

“Not worth it.”

“You’re worth everything in this world and the next, babe.” Lance declared before holding Keith closer, “And I’ll keep saying until you see yourself like I see you.” 

  
  
  



End file.
